DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 08/26/2025 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed on 08/26/2025 has been entered. Claims 1, 15, 25, and 30-31 have been amended.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1, 15, and 30-31 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 15-17, 19-20, 23-24, 26-27, 31, and 34 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Jin et al. (US 2019/0349161), hereinafter Jin.
Regarding Claim 15, Jin teaches: A method of operating a network component, comprising: obtaining spatial relation information to be applied by a user equipment (UE) with respect to at least one set of sounding reference signal (SRS) resources associated with at least one SRS identifier across all cells in a list of cells: “the gNB may indicate activation and deactivation of the SRS resource set in which the SP SRS is configured through the MAC CE. The MAC CE includes a serving cell ID in which the SRS resource set is configured, a BWP ID, an SRS resource set ID” (Jin ¶ 0108); and transmitting, to the UE, a media access control (MAC) command element (CE) including the spatial relation information, the at least one SRS identifier, and an indication of the list of cells: “According to an embodiment of the disclosure, it is possible to indicate not only a current serving cell and a BWP but also a neighboring serving cell and a BWP when a semi-persistent sounding reference signal is activated/deactivated through a MAC CE in a next-generation mobile communication system” (Jin ¶ 0013) meaning one set of SRS resources is applicable to both a current serving cell and a neighboring serving cell, wherein the list of cells comprises a plurality of cells: “aspect of the disclosure is to provide a method of generating a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) for, when a beam through which the corresponding sounding reference signal to be transmitted is indicated, indicating not only the current serving cell and a bandwidth part (BWP) but also a neighboring serving cell and a BWP” (Jin ¶ 0009).
Regarding Claim 16, Jin teaches: The method of claim 1, further comprising: transmitting, to the UE before the MAC CE is received, an identification of each cell in the list of cells: “For example, all of the serving cell ID of the QCLed reference signal, the BWP IP, and the reference signal type and ID are configured for SP SRS resources through RRC configuration, which is indicated by a spatial relation inform ID” (Jin ¶ 0119 and Fig. 1E above).
Regarding Claim 17, Jin teaches: The method of claim 16, wherein the determining is based on a cell group level parameter, a UE level parameter, or an SRS configuration parameter: “For example, all of the serving cell ID of the QCLed reference signal, the BWP IP, and the reference signal type and ID are configured for SP SRS resources through RRC configuration, which is indicated by a spatial relation inform ID” (Jin ¶ 0119).
Regarding Claim 19, Jin teaches: The method of claim 15, wherein the list of cells is expressly identified within the MAC CE via a cell list identifier: “aspect of the disclosure is to provide a method of generating a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) for, when a beam through which the corresponding sounding reference signal to be transmitted is indicated, indicating not only the current serving cell and a bandwidth part (BWP) but also a neighboring serving cell and a BWP” (Jin ¶ 0009).
Regarding Claim 20, Jin teaches: The method of claim 19, wherein each of the plurality of cells is indicated via the cell list identifier: “aspect of the disclosure is to provide a method of generating a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) for, when a beam through which the corresponding sounding reference signal to be transmitted is indicated, indicating not only the current serving cell and a bandwidth part (BWP) but also a neighboring serving cell and a BWP” (Jin ¶ 0009).
Regarding Claim 23, Jin teaches: The method of claim 22, wherein the expressly identified subset includes a single cell: “The terminal includes a transceiver, and at least one processor coupled with the transceiver and configured to receive information for a SRS configuration, to receive a MAC CE for activating a SP SRS, and to transmit an SRS on a first cell based on the information for the SRS configuration and the MAC CE for activating the SP SRS, wherein the MAC CE for activating the SP SRS includes an indicator for indicating whether serving cell information and BWP information for a reference signal associated with spatial relationship are present” (Jin ¶ 0016).
Regarding Claim 24, Jin teaches: The method of claim 15, wherein the MAC CE comprises a single SRS identifier: “an indication of a list of cells, and applying, in response to the MAC CE, the spatial relation information with respect to at least one set of SRS resources associated with the at least one SRS identifier across all cells in the list of cells” (Jin ¶ 0005).
Regarding Claim 26, Jin teaches: The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one set of SRS resources corresponds to at least one set of aperiodic (AP) or semi-persistent (SP) SRS resources: “When SRS resources in the SP SRS resource set have a common value because the number of cross-carrier indication serving cells is one, the second method of the related art of expanding the SP SRS MAC CE adds a field indicating the same and corresponding information” (Jin ¶ 0112).
Regarding Claim 27, Jin teaches: The method of claim 26, wherein the at least one set of SRS resources comprises all AP or SP SRS resources associated with the at least one SRS identifier for all BWPs for each cell in the list of cells: “According to an embodiment of the disclosure, it is possible to indicate not only a current serving cell and a BWP but also a neighboring serving cell and a BWP when a semi-persistent sounding reference signal is activated/deactivated through a MAC CE in a next-generation mobile communication system” (Jin ¶ 0013) meaning one set of SP SRS resources is applicable to both a current serving cell and a neighboring serving cell.
Regarding Claim 31, Jin teaches: A network component, comprising: a memory; at least one communications interface; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory, the at least one communications interface: “FIG. 1J is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an NR NB according to an embodiment of the disclosure” (Jin ¶ 0030), the at least one processor configured to: obtain spatial relation information to be applied by a user equipment (UE) with respect to at least one set of sounding reference signal (SRS) resources associated with at least one SRS identifier across all cells in a list of cells: “the gNB may indicate activation and deactivation of the SRS resource set in which the SP SRS is configured through the MAC CE. The MAC CE includes a serving cell ID in which the SRS resource set is configured, a BWP ID, an SRS resource set ID” (Jin ¶ 0108); and transmit, to the UE, a media access control (MAC) command element (CE) including the spatial relation information, the at least one SRS identifier, and an indication of the list of cells: “According to an embodiment of the disclosure, it is possible to indicate not only a current serving cell and a BWP but also a neighboring serving cell and a BWP when a semi-persistent sounding reference signal is activated/deactivated through a MAC CE in a next-generation mobile communication system” (Jin ¶ 0013) meaning one set of SRS resources is applicable to both a current serving cell and a neighboring serving cell, wherein the list of cells comprises a plurality of cells: “aspect of the disclosure is to provide a method of generating a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) for, when a beam through which the corresponding sounding reference signal to be transmitted is indicated, indicating not only the current serving cell and a bandwidth part (BWP) but also a neighboring serving cell and a BWP” (Jin ¶ 0009).
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Regarding Claim 34, Jin teaches: The method of claim 15, wherein the network component corresponds to a base station: “Another aspect is directed to a method of operating a base station (BS), comprising obtaining spatial relation information to be applied by a user equipment (UE) with respect to at least one set of sounding reference signal (SRS) resources associated with at least one SRS identifier across all cells in a list of cells, and transmitting, to the UE, a media access control (MAC) command element (CE) including the spatial relation information, the at least one SRS identifier, and an indication of the list of cells.” (Jin ¶ 0006).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-3, 5-6, 10, 12-14, and 30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jin in further view of Zhou et al. (US 2021/0119741), hereinafter Zhou.
Regarding Claim 1, Jin teaches: A method of operating a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving a media access control (MAC) command element (CE) including spatial relation information, at least one sounding reference signal (SRS) identifier: “the gNB may indicate activation and deactivation of the SRS resource set in which the SP SRS is configured through the MAC CE. The MAC CE includes a serving cell ID in which the SRS resource set is configured, a BWP ID, an SRS resource set ID” (Jin ¶ 0108), and an indication of a list of cells: “aspect of the disclosure is to provide a method of generating a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) for, when a beam through which the corresponding sounding reference signal to be transmitted is indicated, indicating not only the current serving cell and a bandwidth part (BWP) but also a neighboring serving cell and a BWP” (Jin ¶ 0009); and wherein the list of cells comprises a plurality of cells: “aspect of the disclosure is to provide a method of generating a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) for, when a beam through which the corresponding sounding reference signal to be transmitted is indicated, indicating not only the current serving cell and a bandwidth part (BWP) but also a neighboring serving cell and a BWP” (Jin ¶ 0009).
Regarding Claim 1, Jin does not teach: applying, in response to the MAC CE, the spatial relation information with respect to at least one set of SRS resources associated with the at least one SRS identifier across all cells in the list of cells.
Regarding Claim 1, Zhou teaches: applying, in response to the MAC CE, the spatial relation information with respect to at least one set of SRS resources associated with the at least one SRS identifier across all cells in the list of cells: “when a Spatial Relation Info is activated for a semi-persistent (SP) or aperiodic (AP) SRS resource by a MAC-CE for a set of CCs/BWPs at least for the same band, where the applicable list of component carriers is indicated by RRC signaling, the Spatial Relation Info is applied for the SP/AP SRS resource(s) with the same SRS resource ID for all BWPs in the indicated component carriers” (Zhou ¶ 0111) and “In some examples, the UE may selectively apply the set of TCI State IDs or the spatial relation information to the plurality of component carriers based on whether the user equipment received the information identifying the plurality of component carriers and whether the single component carrier indicated by the MAC-CE is a member of the identified plurality of component carriers” (Zhou ¶ 0120).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the disclosure of Jin with Zhou for the purpose of reducing the number of mobility messages exchanged between UE and Base station. According to Zhou: “Although the synchronization signal transmitted by the base stations 210, 212, and 214/216 may be unified, the synchronization signal may not identify a particular cell, but rather may identify a zone of multiple cells operating on the same frequency and/or with the same timing. The use of zones in 5G networks or other next generation communication networks enables the uplink-based mobility framework and improves the efficiency of both the UE and the network, since the number of mobility messages that need to be exchanged between the UE and the network may be reduced” (Zhou ¶ 0058).
Regarding Claim 2, Jin teaches: The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining, before the MAC CE is received, an identification of each cell in the list of cells: “For example, all of the serving cell ID of the QCLed reference signal, the BWP IP, and the reference signal type and ID are configured for SP SRS resources through RRC configuration, which is indicated by a spatial relation inform ID” (Jin ¶ 0119 and Fig. 1E below).
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Regarding Claim 3, Jin teaches: The method of claim 2, wherein the determining is based on a cell group level parameter, a UE level parameter, or an SRS configuration parameter: “For example, all of the serving cell ID of the QCLed reference signal, the BWP IP, and the reference signal type and ID are configured for SP SRS resources through RRC configuration, which is indicated by a spatial relation inform ID” (Jin ¶ 0119).
Regarding Claim 5, Jin teaches: The method of claim 1, wherein the list of cells is expressly identified within the MAC CE via a cell list identifier: “aspect of the disclosure is to provide a method of generating a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) for, when a beam through which the corresponding sounding reference signal to be transmitted is indicated, indicating not only the current serving cell and a bandwidth part (BWP) but also a neighboring serving cell and a BWP” (Jin ¶ 0009).
Regarding Claim 6, Jin teaches: The method of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of cells is indicated via the cell list identifier: “aspect of the disclosure is to provide a method of generating a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) for, when a beam through which the corresponding sounding reference signal to be transmitted is indicated, indicating not only the current serving cell and a bandwidth part (BWP) but also a neighboring serving cell and a BWP” (Jin ¶ 0009).
Regarding Claim 10, Jin teaches: The method of claim 1, wherein the MAC CE comprises a single SRS identifier: “an indication of a list of cells, and applying, in response to the MAC CE, the spatial relation information with respect to at least one set of SRS resources associated with the at least one SRS identifier across all cells in the list of cells” (Jin ¶ 0005).
Regarding Claim 12, Jin teaches: The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one set of SRS resources corresponds to at least one set of aperiodic (AP) or semi-persistent (SP) SRS resources: “When SRS resources in the SP SRS resource set have a common value because the number of cross-carrier indication serving cells is one, the second method of the related art of expanding the SP SRS MAC CE adds a field indicating the same and corresponding information” (Jin ¶ 0112).
Regarding Claim 13, Jin teaches: The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one set of SRS resources comprises all AP or SP SRS resources associated with the at least one SRS identifier for all BWPs for each cell in the list of cells: “According to an embodiment of the disclosure, it is possible to indicate not only a current serving cell and a BWP but also a neighboring serving cell and a BWP when a semi-persistent sounding reference signal is activated/deactivated through a MAC CE in a next-generation mobile communication system” (Jin ¶ 0013) meaning one set of SP SRS resources is applicable to both a current serving cell and a neighboring serving cell
Regarding Claim 14, Jin teaches: The method of claim 1, further comprising: performing one or more communicative functions on each cell of the list of cells based on the applied spatial relation information: “The MAC CE includes a serving cell ID in which the SRS resource set is configured, a BWP ID, an SRS resource set ID, and an indicator for indicating whether there is a supplementary uplink (SUL), and also includes type and index information of the QCLed reference signal . . . the UE 1e-01 may transmit the SRS for the SRS resource set configured in the current serving cell through a resource type and a beam direction configured in another neighboring cell, and the gNB 1e-03 may more flexibly transmit and receive the SRS” (Jin ¶ 0108).
Regarding Claim 30, Jin teaches: A user equipment (UE), comprising: a memory; at least one communications interface; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory: “FIG. 1I is a block diagram illustrating an internal structure of a UE according to an embodiment of the disclosure” (Jin ¶ 0029 and Fig. 1i below), the at least one communications interface, the at least one processor configured to: receive a media access control (MAC) command element (CE) including spatial relation information, at least one sounding reference signal (SRS) identifier: “the gNB may indicate activation and deactivation of the SRS resource set in which the SP SRS is configured through the MAC CE. The MAC CE includes a serving cell ID in which the SRS resource set is configured, a BWP ID, an SRS resource set ID” (Jin ¶ 0108), and an indication of a list of cells: “aspect of the disclosure is to provide a method of generating a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) for, when a beam through which the corresponding sounding reference signal to be transmitted is indicated, indicating not only the current serving cell and a bandwidth part (BWP) but also a neighboring serving cell and a BWP” (Jin ¶ 0009); and wherein the list of cells comprises a plurality of cells: “aspect of the disclosure is to provide a method of generating a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) for, when a beam through which the corresponding sounding reference signal to be transmitted is indicated, indicating not only the current serving cell and a bandwidth part (BWP) but also a neighboring serving cell and a BWP” (Jin ¶ 0009).
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Jin does not teach: apply, in response to the MAC CE, the spatial relation information with respect to at least one set of SRS resources associated with the at least one SRS identifier across all cells in the list of cells.
Regarding Claim 30, Zhou teaches: apply, in response to the MAC CE, the spatial relation information with respect to at least one set of SRS resources associated with the at least one SRS identifier across all cells in the list of cells: “when a Spatial Relation Info is activated for a semi-persistent (SP) or aperiodic (AP) SRS resource by a MAC-CE for a set of CCs/BWPs at least for the same band, where the applicable list of component carriers is indicated by RRC signaling, the Spatial Relation Info is applied for the SP/AP SRS resource(s) with the same SRS resource ID for all BWPs in the indicated component carriers” (Zhou ¶ 0111) and “In some examples, the UE may selectively apply the set of TCI State IDs or the spatial relation information to the plurality of component carriers based on whether the user equipment received the information identifying the plurality of component carriers and whether the single component carrier indicated by the MAC-CE is a member of the identified plurality of component carriers” (Zhou ¶ 0120).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the disclosure of Jin with Zhou for the purpose of reducing the number of mobility messages exchanged between UE and Base station. According to Zhou: “Although the synchronization signal transmitted by the base stations 210, 212, and 214/216 may be unified, the synchronization signal may not identify a particular cell, but rather may identify a zone of multiple cells operating on the same frequency and/or with the same timing. The use of zones in 5G networks or other next generation communication networks enables the uplink-based mobility framework and improves the efficiency of both the UE and the network, since the number of mobility messages that need to be exchanged between the UE and the network may be reduced” (Zhou ¶ 0058).
Claims 7-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jin and Zhou as applied to claim 1 above and in further view of Svedman et al. (US 2022/0109547), hereinafter Svedman.
Regarding Claim 7, Jin and Zhou teach: The method of claim 1.
Jin and Zhou do not teach: the list of cells is implicitly indicated within the MAC CE.
Regarding Claim 7, Svedman teaches: the list of cells is implicitly indicated within the MAC CE: “In various embodiments, enabling BFD on a cell, e.g. using RRC signaling such as described previously, is combined with BFD activation/deactivation using a MAC CE. In various embodiments, a cell is a BFD cell if and only if the cell has BFD enabled and BFD is MAC CE activated. In various embodiments, a cell is a BFD cell if the cell has BFD MAC CE activated, even if it doesn't have BFD enabled, e.g. using a default and/or implicit BFD, NBI and/or BFR configuration” (Svedman ¶ 0364).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine the disclosure of Jin and Zhou with Svedman for the purpose of managing BFD functions to remain within UE limitations. According to Svedman: “Thus, a UE equipped to adapt the number of cells on which it will perform BFD, and/or the BWP and/or reference signals of the cells on which it will perform BFD so the UE capability is not exceeded” (Svedman ¶ 0010).
Regarding Claim 8, Jin teaches: The method of claim 7, wherein the MAC CE expressly identifies a subset of the plurality of cells: “aspect of the disclosure is to provide a method of generating a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) for, when a beam through which the corresponding sounding reference signal to be transmitted is indicated, indicating not only the current serving cell and a bandwidth part (BWP) but also a neighboring serving cell and a BWP” (Jin ¶ 0009).
Jin and Zhou not teach: the UE interprets the express identification of the subset of the plurality of cells as an implicit reference to the plurality of cells.
Regarding Claim 8, Svedman teaches: the UE interprets the express identification of the subset of the plurality of cells as an implicit reference to the plurality of cells: “In FIG. 6(b), a set of BFD cells is a set of cells on which BFD has been MAC CE activated, even though some of these cells are not BFD enabled. A UE may perform BFD. NBI and/or BFR on a cell that has not BFD enabled, e.g. with a corresponding BFD, NBI and/or BFR RRC configuration, e.g. by applying a default and/or implicit configuration/parameter(s) such as implicitly defined BFR-RS, according to various embodiments” (Svedman ¶ 0368).
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine the disclosure of Jin and Zhou with Svedman to arrive at the predictable result of managing BFD functions to remain within UE limitations. According to Svedman: “Thus, a UE equipped to adapt the number of cells on which it will perform BFD, and/or the BWP and/or reference signals of the cells on which it will perform BFD so the UE capability is not exceeded” (Svedman ¶ 0010).
Regarding Claim 9, Jin teaches: The method of claim 8, wherein the expressly identified subset includes a single cell: “The terminal includes a transceiver, and at least one processor coupled with the transceiver and configured to receive information for a SRS configuration, to receive a MAC CE for activating a SP SRS, and to transmit an SRS on a first cell based on the information for the SRS configuration and the MAC CE for activating the SP SRS, wherein the MAC CE for activating the SP SRS includes an indicator for indicating whether serving cell information and BWP information for a reference signal associated with spatial relationship are present” (Jin ¶ 0016).
Claims 21-23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jin as applied to claim 15 above and in further view of Svedman.
Regarding Claim 21, Jin teaches: The method of claim 15.
Jin does not teach: the list of cells is implicitly indicated within the MAC CE.
Regarding Claim 21, Svedman teaches: the list of cells is implicitly indicated within the MAC CE: “In various embodiments, enabling BFD on a cell, e.g. using RRC signaling such as described previously, is combined with BFD activation/deactivation using a MAC CE. In various embodiments, a cell is a BFD cell if and only if the cell has BFD enabled and BFD is MAC CE activated. In various embodiments, a cell is a BFD cell if the cell has BFD MAC CE activated, even if it doesn't have BFD enabled, e.g. using a default and/or implicit BFD, NBI and/or BFR configuration” (Svedman ¶ 0364).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine the disclosure of Jin with Svedman for the purpose of managing BFD functions to remain within UE limitations. According to Svedman: “Thus, a UE equipped to adapt the number of cells on which it will perform BFD, and/or the BWP and/or reference signals of the cells on which it will perform BFD so the UE capability is not exceeded” (Svedman ¶ 0010).
Regarding Claim 22, Jin teaches: The method of claim 21, wherein the MAC CE expressly identifies a subset of the plurality of cells: “aspect of the disclosure is to provide a method of generating a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) for, when a beam through which the corresponding sounding reference signal to be transmitted is indicated, indicating not only the current serving cell and a bandwidth part (BWP) but also a neighboring serving cell and a BWP” (Jin ¶ 0009)
Jin does not teach: the express identification of the subset of the plurality of cells is configured to implicitly reference the plurality of cells to the UE.
Regarding Claim 22, Svedman teaches: the UE interprets the express identification of the subset of the plurality of cells as an implicit reference to the plurality of cells: “In FIG. 6(b), a set of BFD cells is a set of cells on which BFD has been MAC CE activated, even though some of these cells are not BFD enabled. A UE may perform BFD. NBI and/or BFR on a cell that has not BFD enabled, e.g. with a corresponding BFD, NBI and/or BFR RRC configuration, e.g. by applying a default and/or implicit configuration/parameter(s) such as implicitly defined BFR-RS, according to various embodiments” (Svedman ¶ 0368).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine the disclosure of Jin with Svedman to arrive at the predictable result of managing BFD functions to remain within UE limitations. According to Svedman: “Thus, a UE equipped to adapt the number of cells on which it will perform BFD, and/or the BWP and/or reference signals of the cells on which it will perform BFD so the UE capability is not exceeded” (Svedman ¶ 0010).
Regarding Claim 23, Jin teaches: The method of claim 22, wherein the expressly identified subset includes a single cell: “The terminal includes a transceiver, and at least one processor coupled with the transceiver and configured to receive information for a SRS configuration, to receive a MAC CE for activating a SP SRS, and to transmit an SRS on a first cell based on the information for the SRS configuration and the MAC CE for activating the SP SRS, wherein the MAC CE for activating the SP SRS includes an indicator for indicating whether serving cell information and BWP information for a reference signal associated with spatial relationship are present” (Jin ¶ 0016).
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jin and Zhou as applied to claim 1 above in further view of Agiwal et al. (US 2021/0013949) hereinafter Agiwal.
Regarding Claim 11, Jin and Zhou teach: The method of claim 1.
Jin and Zhou do not teach: the MAC CE comprises multiple SRS identifiers, and wherein the applying is performed with respect to a respective set of SRS resources for each of the multiple SRS identifiers across all cells in the list of cells.
Regarding Claim 11, Agiwal teaches: the MAC CE comprises multiple SRS identifiers, and wherein the applying is performed with respect to a respective set of SRS resources for each of the multiple SRS identifiers across all cells in the list of cells: “Upon detecting beam failure for an SCell, UE triggers BFR for that SCell. UE further triggers SR for BFR if UL grant is not available for transmitting BFR MAC CE for SCell BFR. SR information for SCell BFR consists of one or more SR identifiers for SCell BFR. If multiple SRs are linked (SR information for SCell BFR includes multiple SR identifiers) with the BFR for the SCell, multiple SRs are triggered simultaneously” (Agiwal ¶ 0023).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine the disclosure of Jin and Zhou with the disclosure of Agiwal to arrive at the predictable result of providing a method of SCell and SpCell BFR. According to Agiwal: “In another scenario, while BFR for SCell is ongoing, SpCell BFR may be triggered. Issue is whether to terminate SCell BFR or not. So, a method to handle concurrent occurrence of SCell and SpCell BFR is needed.” (Agiwal ¶ 0025).
Claim 25 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jin as applied to claims 1 and 15 in further view of Agiwal.
Regarding Claim 25, Jin teaches: The method of claim 15.
Jin does not teach: the MAC CE comprises multiple SRS identifiers, and wherein the applying is performed with respect to a respective set of SRS resources for each of the multiple SRS identifiers across all cells in the list of cells.
Regarding Claim 25, Agiwal teaches: the MAC CE comprises multiple SRS identifiers, and wherein the applying is performed with respect to a respective set of SRS resources for each of the multiple SRS identifiers across all cells in the list of cells: “Upon detecting beam failure for an SCell, UE triggers BFR for that SCell. UE further triggers SR for BFR if UL grant is not available for transmitting BFR MAC CE for SCell BFR. SR information for SCell BFR consists of one or more SR identifiers for SCell BFR. If multiple SRs are linked (SR information for SCell BFR includes multiple SR identifiers) with the BFR for the SCell, multiple SRs are triggered simultaneously” (Agiwal ¶ 0023).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine the disclosure of Jin with the disclosure of Agiwal to arrive at the predictable result of providing a method of SCell and SpCell BFR. According to Agiwal: “In another scenario, while BFR for SCell is ongoing, SpCell BFR may be triggered. Issue is whether to terminate SCell BFR or not. So, a method to handle concurrent occurrence of SCell and SpCell BFR is needed.” (Agiwal ¶ 0025).
Conclusion
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/B.D.L./Examiner, Art Unit 2473
/BRADLEY D LYTLE JR./Examiner, Art Unit 2473
/KWANG B YAO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2473